Symposium Program
Wednesday, September 4
12.00 – 17.30
Registration
Turku Technology Centre,
BioCity Building, Mauno Koivisto Centre
Opening session
17.30 – 17.40
17.40 – 18.40
Mikael Skurnik
Elisabeth
Carniel
Opening of the Symposium
Opening Lecture: Evolution of pathogenic Yersinia, some lights in
the dark
19.30 – 21.30
City
Reception
The Great Hall of Turku Academy House
Deputy Mayor Kaija Hartiala
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Thursday, September 5
Yersinia Genomics
8.30 – 9.20
9.20 – 9.50
Brendan Wren
Julian Parkhill
9.50 – 10.10
10.10 – 10.20
10.20 – 10.50
10.50 – 11.20
Victoria L. Taylor
11.20 – 11.50
Andrey Karlyshev
11.50 – 12.20
Michel Simonet
12.20 – 12.40
12.40 – 13.00
Alexander Rakin
Azuka Iwobi
Emilio Garcia
13.00 – 14.15
Chairs: Elisabeth Carniel and Brendan Wren
The Yersinia genome recipe - add DNA, stir and reduce
Genome sequencing and comparison of Yersinia pestis and
Yersinia enterocolitica
DNA adenine methylation
Message from FEMS
Coffee break
Investigating the evolutionary relationship between Yersinia
pseudotuberculosis and Yersinia pestis through whole-genome
comparative sequencing
Investigation of Yersinia using DNA microarray-based STM:
identification of new virulence factors as potential targets for
research and vaccine development
Yersinia pseudotuberculosis harbors a type IV pilus gene
cluster that contributes to pathogenicity
Tracing acquisitions and losses in Yersinia genomes
Subtractive hybridization uncovers novel pathogenicityassociated loci in Y. enterocolitica
Lunch
Pathogenesis and Host Interactions I
14.15 – 15.05
15.05 – 15.35
15.35 – 16.05
16.05 – 16.35
Guy Cornelis
Susan Straley
16.35 –16.55
Anton Zavialov
16.55 – 17.15
Feng Shao
17.15 – 17.35
Heli Nummelin
17.45 – 21.00
Jürgen Heesemann
Chairs: Guy Cornelis and Susan Straley
The Y. enterocolitica anti-host type III machineries
YopM of Yersinia pestis
Coffee break
Pathogenicity of Yersinia beyond Yops: extracellular defense
and fitness factors
Crystal structure of the Caf1M:Caf1 chaperone-subunit
complex from Yersinia pestis
The Yersinia Effector YopT is a Cysteine protease cleaving the
post-translationally modified Rho GtPases
Structural studies of a collagen binding fragment of Yersinia
adhensin YadA
Poster session with wine and cheese
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Friday, September 6
Lipopolysaccharide, Bacteriophages & Cell Wall
Function
Chairs: Peter Reeves and Mikael Skurnik
8.30 – 9.20
Mikael Skurnik
9.20 – 9.50
9.50 – 10.20
10.20 – 10.50
10.50 – 11.20
11.20 – 11.50
Otto Holst
Peter Reeves
Maria Pajunen
Michael Marceau
12.00 – 13.00
13.00 – 14.15
Molecular genetics, biochemistry and biological role of
Yersinia lipopolysaccharide
Lipopolysaccharides of Yersinia. An overview
O antigen gene clusters in Y. pseudotuberculosis
Coffee break
Yersiniophages: Special reference to øYeO3-12
Function and regulation of the Salmonella-like pmrF
antimicrobial peptide resistance operon in Yersinia
pseudotuberculosis and Yersinia pestis
Posters
Lunch
Gene Regulation
14.15 – 15.05
Virginia Miller
15.05 – 15.35
15.35 – 16.05
José Antonio
Bengoechea
Robert Perry
16.05 – 16.35
Steve Atkinson
16.35 – 16.55
16.55 – 17.15
Åke Forsberg
Chairs: Virginia Miller and Jose Antonio Bengoechea
The link between a Yersinia-transcriptional regulator and the
host response
Regulation of O-antigen biosynthesis in Yersinia enterocolitica
Intracellular growth of Yersinia pestis in J774.1 cells requires
the Hmu heme/hemoprotein transport system but not inorganic
iron transport systems
Swimming motility in Yersinia pseudotuberculosis is regulated
by a complex temperature-dependent two component quorum
sensing system involving class I and class II flagella genes
Coffee break
Common virulence strategies of Yersinia spp and Pseudomonas
aeruginosa
Molecular Epidemiology of Yersinia
17.15 – 17.45
Chair: Hannu Korkeala
Molecular epidemiology of Yersinia enterocolitica 4/O:3
17.45 – 18.00
Maria FredrikssonAhomaa
Saija Hallanvuo
18.00 – 18.15
Truls Nesbakken
18.15-18.45
Hannu Laaksonen
Molecular epidemiology of the five recent outbreaks of Yersinia
pseudotuberculosis in Finland
Occurrence of Yersinia enterocolitica in slaughter pigs and
consequences for meat inspection, slaughtering and dressing
procedures
Plague epidemics in Turku, a historian’s view
20.00 – 24.00
Blues session
Brewery restaurant Koulu “The School”
The Ilkka Helander Co.
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Saturday, September 7
Pathogenesis and Host Interactions II
8.30 – 9.20
9.20 – 9.50
9.50 – 10.20
10.20 – 10.50
10.50 – 11.20
Hans Wolf-Watz
Ingo Autenrieth
Martin Aepfelbacher
11.20 - 11.40
Gregory V. Plano
11.40 – 12.00
Mikael Elofsson
James Bliska
12.00 – 13.00
13.00 – 14.15
Chairs: Hans Wolf-Watz and Kaisa Granfors
Interaction between Yersinia and its target cell
Enteric Yersinia spp. at mucosal surfaces
Rho GTP binding proteins in Yersinia target cell interaction
Coffee break
Modulation of host signaling pathways by Yersinia Yop
proteins
Isolation and characterization of Yersinia pestis YopN mutants
that constitutively block Yop secretion
Targeting bacterial virulence: Inhibitors of type III secretion in
Yersinia
Posters
Lunch
Clinical and Diagnostic Yersiniology and Vaccines
14.15 – 15.05
15.05 – 15.35
Richard Titball
Holger Rüssman
15.35 – 16.05
16.05 – 16.35
Arthur Friedlander
16.35 – 17.05
17.05 – 17.35
Heinrich Neubauer
Jeffrey Hoorfar
17.35 – 17.55
Jeffrey J. Adamovicz
19.30 – 24.00
Symposium
Banquet
Chairs: Paavo Toivanen and Richard Titball
2nd and 3rd generation plague vaccines
Induction of T cellular immune responses against heterologous
antigens by Yersinia’s type III secretion system
Coffee break
The humoral immune response to Yersinia outer proteins and
other Yersinia pestis antigens in human plague cases
Epidemiology and Diagnostics of Yersinia infections
Food-PCR. An EU research project seeking to validate and
standardize diagnostic PCR testing of food bone pathogens such
as Yersinia enterocolitica
Efficacy of the F1-V fusion protein vaccine in non-human
primates
Turku Castle - Medieval Dinner hosted by Duke
John
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Sunday, September 8
Pathogenesis and Host Interactions III
8.30 – 9.00
Joe Hinnebusch
9.00 – 9.30
9.30 – 9.50
Kaisa Granfors
Jon D. Goguen
9.50 – 10.10
Peter H. Dube
10.10 – 10.30
Françoise Guinet
10.30 – 11.00
11.00 – 11.20
Vladimir P. Zav'yalov
11.20 – 12.20
Robert Brubaker
12.20 – 12.30
12.30 – 13.30
Mikael Skurnik
Chairs: Jürgen Heesemann and Åke Forsberg
How did arthropod-borne transmission evolve in Yersinia
pestis?
Host-microbe interaction in reactive arthritis
Plasminogen and fibrinogen control neutrophil responses in
plague
IL-6 plays a protective role during Yersinia enterocolitica
infection
Comparison of Y. pestis and Y. pseudotuberculosis
physiopathology by the intradermal route
Coffee break
Role of F1 and pH6 non-pilus adhesins in pathogenesis of
plague
Closing lecture: From Physiology to Genetics to Genomics to
Physiology
Closing the Symposium
Lunch and departure
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